Cod Fish with Mashed Strawberry

I had this pack of fillet cod fish and I didn't know what to do with it.  When I don't have the time to do some grocery, I have no choice but to content myself with what's available in our cupboard and fridge.

So I found some sweet strawberries, tomatoes and orange, and started working on this dish.

First, season 500 grams of cod and sprinkle some crushed tarragon. Pan-grill the fish until golden brown and set aside.

Next, coat a non-stick pan with olive oil. Sautee 1/4 cup minced white onion. Add one small diced tomato (deseeded). Pour in one cup of mashed sweet strawberries. Add one tablespoon of orange juice, a dash of cinnamon powder and nutmeg. Add 1/4 cup stock and simmer till the mixture thickens.

Now, that is sweet! And savory.

Happy eating!

I'm on Twitter @imavjavier


Go and Share!

A Three-Course Dinner: Grilled Salmon with Avocado Remoulade (Entreé)

This is probably the most tedious dish I've done so far. Aside from grilling the fish, I also made a remoulade and salad as side. I avoided adding more starch like potato or rice since I already served risotto on the first course.

To prepare the avocado remoulade, you'll need 1 large avocado (about 200g), 1 tablespoon each of lime juice (rind included), olive oil and crushed parsley, and salt to taste. Combine the avocado meat together with the other ingredients in a blender and blend well. Make sure that there are no lumps left.

For the salad, simply mix 1 cup of alfalfa with some chopped celery, sliced black olives, 1 teaspoon lemon juice, 1 tablespoon olive oil, and some cherry tomatoes. Toss well.

 Season the fish with sea salt, white pepper and crushed tarragon. Coat a non-stick pan with olive oil (about 3 tablespoons) then heat up over medium far. Place the salmon skin-side first and cook for about four minutes. Turn the fish and cook the other side for about 2-3 minutes. Once done, rest the salmon before plating.

I'm on Twitter @imavjavier

Go and Share!

Spicy Tuna Tocino

The idea of this dish came from Erwan's creation. His blog is one of the few sites I often visit. Aside from learning techniques and recipes in cook books, I also acquire a few tricks from his blog. And quite frankly, it actually inspired me to revive Craves and Tales.

Of course, I had to tweak his recipe a bit; I used a different protein and added different spices. I hope you'd love this one.

Firstly, we have to marinate the fish. In a large bowl, put two tuna loins (about 500 grams). Rub them with a one large crushed garlic and a teaspoon of salt.

Next, add paprika, chili powder, cayenne powder and saffron - one teaspoonful each (or more). Sprinkle with some ground pepper. Add 3/4 cup brown sugar. Mix well then marinate in the fridge for 48 hours.

Once ready, place the tuna together with the melted sugar (mixture) in a casserole. Pour 3/4 cup stock. Simmer the fish over low fire until cooked.

Remove the fish from the casserole. At this point, add two tablespoons of sugar then reduce the liquid until thick. Pour the sauce over the fish and top with some onion springs.

Happy eating!

I'm on Twitter @imavjavier

Go and Share!

Poached Dory Fillet with Creamed Spinach

I've done a few takes on dory fillet in the past. This fish is very easy to cook, inexpensive and a bit delicate compared to other fishes because of its soft texture. What I cooked below was a first. I've been wanting to poach a fish, and since dory is easily available, I decided to give it a try.

I mixed ½ cup low-fat milk with ½ cup warm water, added a few dash of salt, ground pepper, 1 teaspoon sesame oil and sliced white onions, and placed the casserole over low fire. Slowly I soaked the fish. Once the mixture started to simmer, I added one teaspoon of crushed basil. The fish should be almost cooked by this time. Do not bring the mixture to a boil.

Poaching the fish

Adding crushed basil while simmering

On a separate pan, I sautéed sliced onion with one tablespoon butter and one tablespoon olive oil. I poured ½ cup of stock and ¼ cup cream then reduced the mixture by half. Once done, I tossed some spinach and wilted them for about 30 seconds.

I also sautéed separately some sliced mushrooms (shiitake and button) with garlic just for added flavor to the entire dish.

I'm on Twitter @imavjavier


Go and Share!